Venetian canal cruise

See the glorious homes of Venice’s great families along the 16th century Brenta Canal to Padua

FIRST POSTED JULY 7, 2009

A cruise down the Brenta Canal is the most relaxing way to discover the glories of Venice's "inland empire", says Adrian Woodford in the Daily Telegraph.

It is also the most authentic: the great families of the city once used it regularly themselves to reach their country estates. It runs from Venice to Padua and was built in the 16th century, after the rise of Portuguese and Ottoman power ousted the Venetians from their old colonies and trading routes and forced them to turn to the land for a living instead.

"A thousand villas" soon sprung up along its

course. Among the most splendid are the Villa Foscari-Malcontenta, "one of Palladio's finest country houses" and the "awe-inspiring" Villa Pisani, with its Tiepolo frescoes.

A day's cruise aboard The Burchiello (0039 049 820 6910) costs from €79pp, Mar-Oct.